Rationality and Romance
by Jorun
Summary: A modern version of Sense and Sensibility set in the late 1990s. When Henry Dashwood pass away his wife Beatrice becomes depressed. Her oldest daughter Elinor decides to move with her mother to Devonshire and convinces her younger sister Marianne to...
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Rationality and Romance  
**Author: **Jorun  
**Status: **In Progress  
**Pairing: **Brandon/Marianneand Elinor/Edward  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of the characters. They are all owned by Jane Austen, etc. No copyright infringement is intended and no profit is made.  
**Author's Notes:** This story is based on the movie from 1995. I haven't read the book but I've been told that in the book Marianne was around 16 and Elinor 19. That didn't work to well with my plot so in this story Elinor is in her late twenties, Marianne is in her early twenties and Brandon in his early thirties.  
**Summary: **An modern version of Sense and Sensibility set in the late 1990s. When Henry Dashwood pass away his wife Beatrice becomes depressed. Her oldest daughter Elinor decides to move with her mother to Devonshire and convinces her younger sister Marianne to move with them. There the two sister experience love and heartbreak as their life changes forever.

**o o o**

**Chapter 1**

It was a beautiful spring day, the snow had almost completely melted away as the sun shines brightly and the streets where full with people. But Elinor Dashwood didn't pay attention to any of this as she hurries out of her apartment building throwing her suitcase in the back of her car before getting in the driver seat. She had gotten a call from her mother just a short while earlier, her father who had six months ago been diagnosed with cancer had gotten progressively worse during the night and the doctor didn't think that he had a lot of time left. After calling her boss and taking the day of she had rushed to pack a few necessities in her suitcase before heading towards her parents house. They lived barely an hour away and Elinor had always relished in the fact that her childhood home was such a short distance away but today the trip felt impossibly long. Elinor had always been a law obeying citizen but today it was taking all of her self control not to floor on the gas to get there faster. Finally she arrived at the house the car screeching has it comes to a quick stop.

As she enters the house she is meet with a deafening silence. Suddenly overwhelmed with fear she stands frozen in the hallway and she can feel her heart beating wildly in her chest. Slowly she starts making her way upwards the stairs. "Mother?" she calls out softly but when there is no answer she raises her voice "Mother!". As she reaches the top of the stairs the door to her parents bedroom open and out steps her half-brother. "John! I didn't realize you where here."

"I arrived yesterday."

"Alone?" Elinor curiously asks.

Looking slightly uncomfortable he gives her a sheepish smile and answers, "Fanny had to uh... work. She will fly down as soon as she can."

Normally Elinor would have taken notice of John's flimsy excuse for his wife absence but at this moment she was to occupied with worry for her father to think about anything else. "How is he?"

John's smile slowly changes into something sadder, "Not good. He's sleeping most of the time..." He trails of as his voice start choking up. "Come on. They have been waiting for you."

Steeling herself Elinor slowly follows him and enter her parents bedroom. The sight that greats her is both overwhelming and reassuring. As long as she could remember her father had always been an lively and robust person. Seeing him like this, restricted to his bed, looking pale and worn out she could feel her heart breaking. But despite his exhaustion his face lids up in a huge grin as he lays eyes on his eldest daughter. Even though Elinor knows he is putting on a brave face in front of her she still feels relieved that he despite everything still hasn't lost his spirit.

Her mother is sitting on a chair next to the bed. She is holding her husbands hand in a tight grip never taking her eyes of him, only acknowledging her daughters presence with a quick glance and a small grateful smile. "How are you feeling dad?" Elinor ask somehow managing to keep her voice strong as she comes to stand at the other side of the bed.

"I'm fine my dear. You di..." He's unable to finish as he starts to cough. At once all three of them is instantly at his side to try and help him but a determinedly waves them away. "I'm fine, I'm fine." As his coughing starts to subside John hands him a glass of water. "Thank you." He closes his eyes for a moment and when he opens them again his brave front seems to have completely disappeared. "If you will excuse me... I think I'm going to sleep for a little while."

"Of course." Elinor takes his hand and gives it a firm grasp before standing up as she and John start making their way towards the door to let him sleep undisturbed. Noticing that her mother isn't following them Elinor comes to a halt. "Mother? Are you coming?"

Beatrice looks at her daughter in despair before giving her husband a pleading look. "It's all right Bea." She continues to look at him before reluctantly standing up and following Elinor and John down to the kitchen. There she exclaims in false cheerfulness, "I'm going to make some tea."

Elinor and John seats themselves by the kitchen table. After a long moment of strained silence Elinor speaks up, "What did the doctor say?" Beatrice stops in her efforts to make tea a gloom coming over her features. But then she seems to shake it off and asks, "We only have lemon, I hope that is okay."

Seeing that her mother wasn't ready to talk about what is happening yet Elinor tries to keep the conversation neutral, "Where is Margaret?" Elinor directed the question at her mother but it's John who answer her. "She is staying at a friends house tonight. We thought it would be best if she wasn't home right now."

Realizing that this topic was also making her mother uncomfortable Elinor once again tries to change the subject, "Have you called Marianne?" This gets her a nod in response but there is a moment of silence before Beatrice answer, "Yes, I called her after I talked to you, she said she was going to be on the next plan here."

Feeling the tension in the room John decides to try and help Elinor get the conversation on to safer ground. "Where is Marianne these days?" Elinor gives him a grateful look. "She is currently working in London on a local pub." Intrigued by this new source of information he asks, "Working? As in singing?"

Elinor shakes her head, "Waitressing."

"Ah..." His the only answer he gives obviously not very surprised.

"Just a matter of time I'm sure... She has such a lovely voice." said Beatrice somehow managing to sound both proud and slightly whimsical at the same time. Just then the phone rings. Both Elinor and John starts to get up but Beatrice is already halfway out the door saying, "I'll get it."

Waiting until she can hear her mother answering the phone Elinor turns towards John and lowers her voice, "Did you meet the doctor?"

"He was leaving just as I got here."

"What did he say?"

"He said that there is nothing he could do." He stops for a moment debating with himself if he should go on, "He also said he might be able to help him if he would just go to the hospital."

Elinor lets out a deep sigh. When her father had first been diagnosed with cancer it was already very far progressed. The doctor had informed them that chemotherapy was his only option. But he had bluntly refused stating that he didn't want to spend the last months of his life in a hospital. The family had all tried to change his mind but to no avail. Elinor and her mother had eventually given up on trying to persuasive him and try to respect his decision, but both Marianne and John had been completely opposed to it all. "You know he doesn't want that."

"Well we can't always get what we want. And besides..." But whatever he was going to say is cut off by Beatrice coming back into the kitchen proclaiming, "That was Marianne. Her plans lands early tomorrow morning." If she had heard anything about the topic of their conversation she didn't let on. "Now, how about that tea."

The rest of the day was spent mostly in quiet, John hardly said anything at all while Elinor and her mothers attempt at small talk continually fell short as neither of them was able to keep their mind off what was inevitable to come. After saying good night to her parents and her brother it was with a worried mind and a heavy heart that Elinor went to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes:** I'm sorry it has taken me so long to update. You might have been wondering if I have abandoned this story but I can promise you that is not the case, after posting the first chapter I suffered from a light case of writer blocks and I've rewritten some parts of this chapter a couple of times. But I hope you're going to like this final draft. Please review.

**o o o**

**Chapter 2**

Elinor spent most of the night tossing and turning and listening to the rain softly smashing against the window. A quick look at the alarm tells her that it's just past half six and she finally decides to give up on trying to sleep and gets up to get dressed. She carefully makes her way out her room and down the stairs trying to be as quiet as possible. As she reaches the bottom of the stairs she can hear someone moving around in the kitchen. But before she can look who it is she hears someone rapidly knocking on the front door. She hurries to open the door and her sister Marianne comes barging in her jacket pulled up over her head in an attempt to hide from the pouring rain. "Marianne, I'm so glad you're here!" Elinor exclaims her face breaking out in the first happy smile since her mothers phone call yesterday.

"Elinor..." Marianne answer in clear relief. In a quick motion the sisters embrace in a tight hug before Marianne pulls away apologizing, "Oh I'm sorry. I've gotten you all wet."

Just then the kitchen door opens and John steps out. "Marianne," he says in greeting giving her a slightly amused smile.

"Hello John."

"Couldn't sleep either?" Elinor asks him as she helps Marianne out of her soaked jacket.

He shakes his head in response before saying, "I was just brewing some coffee, thought I'd make some breakfast if you guys are hungry?"

"Oh but Marianne first you have to get out of those wet close." Elinor insists.

"I will, and breakfast sound great John. But before I do anything else I want to see dad."

Elinor gives her sister another warm smile. Ever since their father had refused treatment his relationship with his middle daughter had been noticeable strained and Elinor wanted nothing more than for them to work things out before it was to late. For the last two months Marianne had refused to even talk to her father but it was clear that his worsened condition had changed her mind. "He's going to be so happy to see you."

"You really think so?" Marianne asks her nervously.

But before Elinor gets the chance to answer her they hear a earth shattering scream coming from upstairs. All three of them stand frozen in shock as they can hear Beatrice shouting, "Henry! Henry! No!"

John is the first one to move running up the stairs the sisters right behind him. They all come to a halt as they see their father laying motionless on his bed. They could all very well have thought that he was simply asleep if it hadn't been for the fact that his wife hysterical crying and pleading wasn't able to wake him up.

The week following her fathers death passed in a daze for Elinor, her mother had spent most of the time up to today in bed barely speaking a word so Elinor had taken care of arranging everything for today. She had expected the funeral to go by just as obscure but if later asked she would have been able to remember every single word the minister spoke, she would remember in great detail how everything looked, the coffin, the flowers and all the people that had come to pay their respects. Sitting now in the kitchen next to her mother and Margaret who was quietly sobbing she still felt as if this was some sort of bad dream. Her thoughts are interrupted as her fathers former colleague Patrick and his wife enter the kitchen together with John and Fanny.

"Well, we are going to be leaving now." He hesitates before adding, "I'm so sorry for you're loss Beatrice."

"Thank you for coming," Elinor says as she stands up and gestures for them to follow her. She walks with them to the front door explaining that her mother was still to distressed to talk to people before saying goodbye and closing the door behind them. She walks back to the kitchen and comes to a halt in the doorway, "That was the last of the guest."

A long silence follows witch is broken by Fanny saying, "I'm going to take a shower and change out of these clothes." She starts to leave but then comes to a stop and gives her husband a pointed look, "John? Are you coming?" He looks like he's about to argue with her but then he changes his mind and follows his wife upstairs.

Without saying a word Beatrice stands up and leaves. "Mom?" Margaret calls after her obviously distressed but she gets no response.

"Mom is just going to rest for a while," Elinor tries to assure her. But it's no use as the young girl is already close to tears as she stands up and runs after her mother.

"Will you please go check on her?" Elinor asks her sister.

"Not now."

"Marianne please, I have to go check on mother!"

"Oh for gods sake Elinor. Has it ever occurred to you that maybe people just need to be left alone," Marianne exclaims before she also runs out of the room leaving her sister alone in the kitchen.

The two sisters had an argument earlier that morning with Marianne accusing her of always worrying to extensively. After all this was a time of grief and right now that was what everyone needed to do, grief. She had no doubt that if just given time their mother would start feeling better and eventually become her old cheerful self again. Elinor on the other hand was not as all as optimistic about things to come. She understood that her fathers dead had been particularly hard for her mother but she was becoming more and more concerned for her well being. Since finding her husbands body Beatrice had not spoken more than two words to her daughters and spent all day lying in bed hardly eating and from the looks of the bags under her eyes not sleeping anything either. Elinor was hoping that after the funeral was over her mother would finally be able to recover, if she didn't something drastic would have to be done.

Not being able to sort out that now however and not wishing to engage in another argument with her sister Elinor decided to focus her attention to Margaret, who she hoped she would be able to help. Following her youngest sister up the stairs she knocks on the door and gently calls out, "Margaret?". When there is no answer she tries to open it only to find it locked, "Margaret open the door."

"No!"

"Margaret I just want to talk to you."

"I don't want to talk to you I want to talk to mom."

"Well she... mom can't talk right now. You will just have to talk to me." When she doesn't gets a reply she pleads, "Margaret please let me in."

"Go away!" Feeling to overwhelmed to continue to try and get her to open the door Elinor walks away feeling even more depressed then before.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Elinor couldn't help but sigh when she enters the kitchen and Marianne quickly gets up from the table and puts her plate in the washing machine even though Elinor doubts she had actually finished her breakfast. It had been over a week since their fathers funeral and things weren't any better. Beatrice was still confined in her room not even coming down to eat and the tension was thick between the two oldest sisters.

Not wanting to make things worse with Marianne she instead turns her attention to her youngest sister who is nibbling at a piece of toast. "Margaret I got a call from Mary's mom, she wondered if you wanted to go with them to the mall today."

"No."

Suppressing another sigh Elinor gently tries to persuade her sister, "Why not? Isn't it better then staying home all day with nothing to do."

"I don't want to," Margaret exclaims agitated.

"All right," Elinor relents hoping to calm her down. "Aren't you going to finish your breakfast?"

Margaret is quiet for a few second before grudgingly saying, "I'm not hungry," as she gets up and leaves.

Before Elinor can decide if she should follow her or not Marianne, who has been standing by the kitchen sink observing her sisters, speaks up not bothering to hide the anger in her voice, "When's the doctor coming?"

"He should be here any minute."

"I still don't see what good he could possibly do."

Elinor sighs yet again, she had been hoping that her mother would eventually get better on her own, but when it became apparent that this wasn't the case she had called for a psychologist to come and examine her. Something that Marianne had instantly been opposed to. Not wanting to be drawn into another argument Elinor pleads with her, "Marianne please, we've talked about this."

"Mom just needs some time," Marianne repeats for what feels like the thousandth time.

"She has been like this for over a week." Before the fight that Elinor had been hoping to avoid can break out they are interrupted by the doorbell.

"That's would be them," Elinor says grateful for the distraction. She quickly makes her way to the front door, "Good morning Dr Ackerman."

"Hello Elinor." Doctor Ackerman had been their fathers doctor through is illness. He gives Elinor a friendly smile before gesturing towards the man accompanying him, "This is Dr Benjamin Reynolds."

Dr Reynolds was a tall sturdy man, his stern face softened by his warm smile, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Like wise," Elinor said shaking his hand.

"As I told you on the phone Dr Reynolds is or top psychologist." Dr Ackerman informs her.

"I'm very grateful you took the time to come her, I would have driven my mother to the hospital but I was worried she wouldn't be able to handle it." Elinor explains not able to hide her worry.

"I understand, it's no problem," Dr Reynolds quickly assures her.

"My mother is in her room," she informs them as they followed her up the stairs.

"I thought I would go in to if that's al right? Maybe I can help put her at ease," Dr Ackerman asks.

"Yes of course," Elinor replies.

The two doctors went in to her mothers room and closed the door. Elinor decides that she should try and smooth things over with Marianne, but as she starts making her way towards the stairs she notices that the door to her fathers study is open. As she makes her way towards it she can hear what sounds like someone crying. She slowly makes her way in to the room and softly calls out, "Margaret? Is that you?" Seeing her youngest sister sitting huddled beneath their fathers mahogany desk she sits down on the floor, "What's wrong sweetie?"

"I don't want mommy to die to," Margaret manages to say between sobs.

For a moment Elinor is completely stunned before urgently saying, "Mom is not going to die. What would make you think such a thing?"

Margaret keeps sniffling as she admits, "I heard you tell Marianne that the doctor was coming to visit mom. The doctor came to visit all the time before dad died."

"Oh honey come here," Elinor exclaims and reaches out, Margaret almost knocks her over as she throws her arms around her. "It's okay, everything is going to be okay," Elinor tries to assure her. They sit like that for a while, Elinor finding it just as comforting as Margaret. Finally she pulls away slightly and looks at her sister seriously. "Margaret I want you to listen to me. It is true that mom isn't feeling well and the doctor is here to see her. But she's not sick, not the way dad was, and she's going to get better."

"Do you promise?" Margaret asks in a small voice.

"I promise," Elinor answers before giving her sister another hug.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was half an hour later that the doctors emerged from Beatrice's room, Elinor was anxiously waiting in the hallway and she immediately felt her stomach tighten at the severe look on their faces. "What's wrong?" she asks already knowing that it wouldn't be good news.

Dr Reynolds gives his colleague a questioning look and when he gets a small nod in return he turns to Elinor, "The death of your father was as I'm sure you know very traumatic for your mother, it is my professional opinion that your mother has fallen into depression."

"What can we do for her?" Elinor nervously inquire as she feels her heart starting to beat wildly.

"We are going to put her on anti-depressive, but it might take a while to find one that has the desired affect. She's is going to need help taking care of the house and the like's and of your youngest sister of course."

Elinor nods in response feeling to overwhelmed to speak. Before she has time to collect herself enough to answer Dr Ackerman adds, "We also think it might be a good idea to hire somebody to help take care of her when you and your sister isn't here. Somebody who is trained to take care of people who... at the moment can't take care of them self."

"When she starts to get better I would strongly recommend that she starts seeing a therapist, I think it would really help her," Dr Reynolds continues.

"Right, of course," Elinor says trying to keep it together as she follows the doctors down the stairs before showing them to the door. Noticing the distress she is trying to hide Dr Reynold tries to comfort her, "Ms Dashwood I know this is very overwhelming to you, but this kind of shock isn't unusual for people who have been through something traumatic. It's going to take some time but I have very high hopes that you're mother will be fully well again."

"Thank you Doctor," she says her voice full of emotions.

"I will call you tomorrow and put you in contact with a agency who can help you," Dr Ackerman says in a soothing tone.

"Thank you. I really appreciate you both taking the time to come out here."

"Think nothing of it." Dr Ackerman says as he steps out the door, he turns back towards her and adds, "And try not to worry to much, all will be well." Elinor manages to give them a small smile before waving good bye and closing the door. Feeling all kinds of emotions running through her she determinedly pushes them away, she knows she is going to have to keep a level head when she relate the doctors news to Marianne. When she has gotten herself under control she goes in search of her sister.


End file.
